I like a lot of what Trump says here, and I suspect a lot of Republicans will. But the reason for this is that two things that he previously said publicly about it are not mentioned anymore.
The first thing is that if you read through it, he makes no mention of continuing the requirement that insurance companies ignore pre-existing conditions. That is a really important point, because it is the pre-existing condition exclusion that requires the mandate. So sure, the individual mandate is gone, but so is the part about pre-existing conditions. If he sticks to that, great. But if he adds that back in and doesn't address the mandate, we're back to having a problem.
The second point is that this plan does not guarantee that everyone will be covered. Which, again, was the foundation of the earlier criticism. If there is going to be "universal coverage (which is what Trump said previously) then you either must have a single-payer system, or a mandate, or both.
So you're right -- the right shouldn't be screaming about this (although his language on Medicaid is weaselly), but that's because critical details in his prior statements about the plan have changed.
Yes, Trump seems to be learning - something I think he’s good at.
Healthcare itself is none of the federal government’s constitutional business so, of course, federal guarantees (forced and coerced) “universal coverage” is patently unconstitutional.
Our country is about freedom and the American People’s freedom to choose. Within that structure and the free market economy which is freedom in action, America has had the world’s best healthcare and in a free America, the poor have been helped greatly not by government but by eleemosynary (charitable) acts and provision.
Again, a free people take care of themselves and their own better than any government can and the federal government was NEVER created nor given constitutional power to “take care of us. It was created mainly to PROTECT our freedom from invasion without and misdeeds within.
The federal government is the fox guarding the henhouse. And the chain on the fox is the Constitution. Take the chain off and the guardian becomes the devourer.